Loki is easily one of the MCU’s best titles in the Multiverse Saga. Over the course of the last decade, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief went from villain to hero in one of the most satisfying character arcs we’ve seen in years. Rather than non-stop superhero action, Loki Season 2 slows down and focuses on its characters while showing the multiverse in new and exciting ways, challenging our concepts of time, fate, and purpose.
The series features some of Marvel’s best writing, bolstered by an outstanding cast led by Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Jonathan Majors, and Sophia Di Martino. Even with its all-star talent returning from the first season, one of the exciting parts of Loki Season 2 was the addition of Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros. I had the honor of speaking to Quan about his return to acting, his love for the Marvel Universe, and that gut-wrenching finale.
Joining The Larger Marvel Universe
KE HUY QUAN: First of all, Mike, when I decided to become an actor again, joining the MCU was at the very top of my wish list. I kid you not. I’ve been a fan of everything from Marvel Studios from the very first Iron Man movie. I remember watching Loki Season 1 during the pandemic, and I loved it. I thought it was one of the best shows on television. So, when Kevin Feige called me and invited me to join the MCU and told me about Loki Season 2, it wasn’t that difficult to say yes. [Laughs] In fact, it was the opposite. It was a dream come true. I remember that day so well. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
That’s incredible. You said you were a fan of the MCU. I have to ask: what was your favorite MCU movie?
QUAN: It’s hard to pick one because I think it starts with Iron Man in 2008, I believe, and every subsequent movie leads to the big Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame. So to me, it’s hard to pick just one, but it’s a culmination of all of that leading to the big epic saga. I remember watching The Avengers in the theater. It was one of the biggest theaters in Los Angeles, and there were over 1,500 people, and the excitement, joy, and anticipation of that movie were so palpable. It reminded me of 1993 when I stood in line, and the line was around the block, to watch Jurassic Park for the first time, and watching dinosaurs come to life up on the screen. That’s why I love movies so much. That’s why I love being an actor. Because to be a part of that creation, to be a part of that is so fulfilling and exciting. There’s so something really magical about what we do and being a part of that. I’m a fan first. I love movies.
The Marvel Method to the Multiverse
Strangely enough, Loki‘s not your first multiverse project. You won the Academy Award for your performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Was it a different experience in the way that the Daniels approached that story as opposed to the MCU and the whole multiverse angle of it all?
QUAN: First of all, Everything Everywhere was an original script, and it was just this little movie that we did in Simi Valley for 38 days, so there was no anticipation with the movie. We got to have a lot of fun, and then we didn’t expect much. We didn’t expect the type of reception and all the accolades that we got. That was a big, lovely surprise for us. Even though we knew we were making something really special, we didn’t expect all of that.
Going into Loki, it was a very different experience because, one, this is Season 2 and, two, everything that Marvel Studios does, there’s a huge fan base and there’s a lot of anticipation that goes into it. Then you also have this huge responsibility of not disappointing the fans. For me, when I got invited into this and got this huge gift of playing Ouroboros, I even felt the pressure myself because Season 1 was incredible. To me, it was one of the best shows on television, so I didn’t want to be the one to mess it up. Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Eugene Cordero, everybody brought their A-game to Season 1, and going into Season 2, I didn’t quite know how I was gonna fit in. Thankfully, and to the graciousness of the entire cast and crew, they welcomed me with open arms. I had such an amazing time making this show. In fact, when we finished, I was so excited to wait until the show came out and tell everybody about it and tell everybody how proud I am of the show, and, of course, as we all know, the strike happened, and we couldn’t say anything until now.
The Many Facets of O.B.
You said this is a unique experience for you coming in as a fan of enjoying Season 1 so much. What was it like integrating with that cast? Like you said, you had that fear of not wanting to mess it up. Was it an easy transition once you got to set and production started?
QUAN: Yeah, it was because everybody was so warm and kind and welcoming. I think it’s because, one, I’ve seen Seasons 1 and 2, and I’ve seen Tom Hiddleston’s wonderful work all these years. I remember meeting him for the very first time. Maybe because I’ve seen him on screen and as Loki for so many years, I felt this immediate connection with him. I remember jumping into his arms and giving him a big hug and giving Owen Wilson a big hug. That’s how much I’ve loved them all these years. I was the new kid on the block, but I fit right in, and I think it was because they were all so kind and really opened their arms to me.
One thing I find very fascinating about the role of O.B. is that he is a new character being introduced in this season, but he’s also pretty much the brains of this operation. Was it challenging coming into this room playing basically the smartest character in the room? Then you have the twist of playing different versions of O.B., as well. Was that challenging at all?
QUAN: It was because I didn’t audition for this role, it was offered to me. In the beginning, when I read the script, I fell in love with the character right away, but I didn’t quite know how to play him. I had meetings with our writers, with our showrunner, with Tom Hiddleston, and I was trying to pick their brains to see what their vision was for this character. They were very supportive, and they offered a lot of suggestions and advice. I felt this tremendous pressure because I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. I struggled for a long time, and it was not until I went and saw the Ouroboros set and the stage that they were building the set in. It was called Roger Moore, and as you know, Roger Moore played James Bond and Data from The Goonies loves James Bond, and it dawned on me that O.B. could be a variant of Data from The Goonies.
That’s incredible.
QUAN: From that moment on, I knew exactly how I wanted to play him. The only thing is, I just have to time slip back into 1985 to try to remember what it was like to play this character and to bring all that energy and memories I had, and time slip back into the TVA and put all of that into Ouroboros. Honestly, ever since the show came out, reading all those wonderful comments and knowing how positively the fans reacted to this character, it has been really heartwarming.
That is amazing, honestly. When they pitched this role to you, you asked them about their vision. Did it change at all? Were there any script changes for this character through the process or was it pretty linear?
QUAN: From the very beginning, this character was the way you see him. He was funny, he was quirky, he was full of energy. To me, he jumped right out at me, and I loved him. In fact, I could not believe when I got that call from Kevin Feige, when he invited me to join the MCU. I was so excited, and I couldn’t wait to play him. Honestly, we had the most amazing time. Honestly, this entire experience has been, for me, a masterclass. I’ve never been a part of something– Well, I guess with Indiana Jones [and the Temple of Doom], that was a sequel, but I was just a kid, and I didn’t know how big that movie was going to be, but going into this I knew because of how big a fan base MCU has. There was a lot of pressure. Watching Tom Hiddleston and our entire creative team, the amount of work and dedication that they put into the show, has been incredible to witness. It was amazing.
Tom Hiddleston’s Emotional Farewell as Loki
I can definitely speak to that. Seeing that finale, specifically, very much cemented it as one of my favorite shows of last year. Seeing Tom up close playing that character, especially, again, you being a fan of this franchise and seeing Loki all these years, what was it like getting to that finale and seeing that character evolve into what he becomes here?
QUAN: It was emotional for all of us. Especially because I watched when Loki was first introduced in Thor, and he was an awful character. He was selfish, he was a villain who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and to witness that character go from that to the end of Episode 6 of Loki Season 2 was one of the greatest character arcs that I’ve witnessed. And the sacrifices that he made at the end of that were really poetic and sad and fitting. It was very satisfying to witness. To see Tom Hiddleston being so passionate and so determined after being this one character for so many years, and to still see him care so much about him was like, as an actor myself, that’s what I want to do. That’s how I want to approach every character that I get to play. So for me, it was really a masterclass to learn from them, not only how to be a great actor and how to be a great leader, because that’s what he is on this particular show, but also a great human being because he’s such a gentleman and he’s so kind and warm. I had a really good time.
The Future of O.B. and Closing Thoughts on Loki Season 2
The theme of this show really is purpose — Loki finding his glorious purpose — so I did want to ask you, where do you want to see O.B. go? What do you envision for the future for that character?
QUAN: I also wanna add, one of the themes, to me, for Loki, Season 2 is that, it’s incredible because this character is very lonely in the beginning, and he found love and friendship in the most unlikely places. To me, anybody and everybody is lovable. We all love Loki at the end, so that’s what I love about that character and also about the show. In terms of Ouroboros, man, fingers crossed that we get to see more of him in either an MCU movie or, hopefully, more in the TVA. It’s such a vast universe. We only get to see a little bit of the TVA, so hopefully we’ll get to see more of that. Also, Ouroboros has so much knowledge, so I would love to see more of him and more of his contributions to that universe.
Before I let you go, I have a very simple question for you, with you being a huge fan. Who is your favorite superhero?
QUAN: Wow, that’s a great question. You know, I’m biased. As many characters as we have in the MCU, and there are a lot of great characters — Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, all of that — but to me, I love Loki. I really do. I love the sacrifices that he’s made. He saved the world, he saved the timeline.
All the worlds, yeah!
QUAN: Yeah, all the worlds. And being on that throne holding all the timelines together — spoiler alert [laughs] — that sacrifice is really incredible. It’s very emotional. To be able to see that journey for that character is pretty incredible. So, I have to say Loki. But then again, I’m biased, you know?
Oh, for sure. I mean, can you argue when he saved all of the world and the entire multiverse? It’s truly incredible. This series and this season was fantastic. Again, it left me in tears when we got to that finale. Did you have a favorite episode or favorite moment that you were able to film for Loki Season 2?
QUAN: For me, it’s hard to pick one episode because I think it’s the entire journey that counts, starting from Episode 1. In fact, starting from Season 1, and seeing how all these characters evolve, especially Loki’s journey. To see the entire team, from Mobius to Casey to Sophia’s character, everybody. So, to me it’s the entire journey that counts. To see this group of people come together and work together to save the entire universe, it’s something that I really love. But if you would have me pick, I would say, again, Episode 1 is kind of cool because we get to introduce O.B.’s character, but Episode 6 is really emotional for me too.
What’s Next After Loki?
You’re filming With Love right now. What’s it like becoming an action star?
QUAN: By the way, we just finished a few days ago!
Oh, wow!
QUAN: We were in Canada for three months. It’s a big action movie, so physically it’s very demanding. It’s also my very first time being the number one on the call sheet, so that was really exciting. It comes out in February next year. I had a wonderful time. In fact, the experience and the lesson that I took away from Loki Season 2, I brought a lot of that onto With Love. It’s something that I’m very proud of, as well, too, and I can’t wait to show the world.
Loki Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.
